Snow excavator



N. L. JAMES SNOW EXCAVATOR April 29, 1947.

s Sheets-Sheet 1' Filed Oct. 23, 1944 w/ llllVl V g iA/Zw n/or April 29,1947. N. L. JAMES SNOW EXCAVATOR Filed Oct. 25, 1944 3 Sheets-Sheet 2Patented Apr. 29, 1947 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SNOW EXCAVATOR NormanL. James, Ingersoll, Ontario, Canada Application October 23, 1944,Serial No. 560,055 In Canada November 3, 1943 This invention relates toimprovements in devices for excavating snow and ice from highways,railways and airport landing fields, and the principal objects of theinvention are to provide a machine of strong and durable constructionwhich may be attached to a truck, tractor or locomotive, which willeffectively cut into deep snow or surface-packed ice and deliver it inloose form progressively as the machine advances to a high speedejecting unit which delivers the snow or ice clear of the path cut bythe machine.

The principal feature of the invention consists in the novelconstruction and arrangement of a horizontal revolving member extendingtransversely of the machine having helical blades adapted to engage andcut into the snow and directing same to a coaxially arranged memberrotated at a considerably higher speed than the rotation of the cuttingmember, said high speed member delivering the snow and ice to a deliverychute.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a plan view of a machineconstructed in accordance with this invention having the delivery chutearranged at one end thereof.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal and vertical sectional elevation of themachine shown in Figure 1 taken on the line 2-2.

Figure 3 is a plan view of a modified form of the machine having thedelivery chute arranged centrally of its length.

Figure 4 is a front elevational view of the machine shown in Figure 3.

Figure 5 is an end elevational view chine illustrated in Figures 3 and4.

Figure 6 is a part longitudinal sectional detail of the structureillustrated in Figure 3.

Figure 7 is an end elevational view in part section showing a slightlymodified detail in the driving mechanism of part of the machine.

Figure 8 is an enlarged sectional detail of the driving gear connectionbetween the main longitudinal shaft and the slow-speed spiral cuttingmember.

Figure 9 is an end or illustrated in Figure 8, 9-9 of Figure 8.

Many different types of snow plows or excavators have been proposed inwhich horizontally arranged spiral cutting members are rotated to engageand cut away the packed snow on highways or other areas, and thesespiral cutting members are, in numerous forms of machines proposed,arranged to deliver the snow to fan of the maface view of the structurebeing a section on the line 5 Claims. (CI. 37-43) blades either integralwith the spiral cutters or arranged adjacent thereto.

In machines of this type it is highly desirable that the snow and ice asit is cut away from the banks and drifts or road surfaces be passedcontinuously to the delivery means so that packing or jamming will nottake place, and it is important that the broken-up material be removedfrom the delivery ends of the spiral cutters with such speed as willprevent clogging.

The present invention has been devised particularly with this latterresult in view, and this objective is achieved by thearrangement of adelivery fan co-axial with the spiral cutters operating at a higherspeed of revolution than that of the cutters.

On reference to the accompanying drawings the form of the inventionillustrated in Figures 1, 2 and 7 comprises a casing I which is suitablysupported in front of a truck or tractor 2, or other motive vehicle.This casing is formed with vertical end plates 3 and 4, and journalblocks 5 and 6 are secured to these end plates respectively, inalignment one with the other.

A shaft 1 rotatably mounted in the journal blocks 5 and 6 extends fromend-to-end of the machine, one end thereof projecting through the block5 and having mounted thereon a suitable gear or sprocket wheel 8. V I

A jack shaft 9 is horizontally journalled in suitable bearings supportedfrom the casing l in a horizontal position substantially vertically overthe shaft 1, and carries a sprocket wheel In which is connected by asuitable chain with the sprocket 8.

The jack shaft 9 is driven through a pair of intermeshing bevel pinionsll driven by a shaft l2 which is connected to a s table source of powerpreferably carried by the truck or tractor device 2.

A fan member formed with a central drum l3 and radial blades I4 ismounted on the shaft 1 inside the plate 3, and the blades operate withina part-circular housing which opens to a discharge chute 15. The fan isrigidly secured to the shaft and rotates therewith.

Rotatably mounted on the shaft 1 adjacent to the fan member I3 is aspider [6 which supports the smaller end of a tubular frusto-conicalmember i1, and a similar spider [8, of larger radius than the spider I6,is mounted on a bearing block l9 rotatably mounted adjacent to the otherend of the shaft, said spider supporting the larger end of thefrusto-conical tube l1.

Spiral cutting flanges 20 extend rigidly from the member I! fromend-to-end. These are preferably of uniform external diameter andoperate within a part-cylindrical wall 2| of the casing I which extendsalong the back and topside of the rotary member.

The bearing block I9 is formed with a circular flange 22. A flange plate23 of corresponding diameter to the flange plate 22 is formed with abearing boss 24 which is rotatably mounted on the outer periphery of thebearingblock li'in which the shaft 1 is mounted.

The flange plate 23 and flange 22 are connected together by a pair ofspindles 25 arranged di-" other, an'dgspmi ametrically opposite to eachgears 26 are rotatably mounted on each of these spindle to mesh with aspur pinion -2-l"keyed"to' the shaft 1. M

Spur gears 28, preferably of smaller1-"tlifarne ter V than the gears 26,are rotatably mounted on vthe spindles and mesh 29 which is rigidlysecured to the end plate 4 of the casing. g V Y It will beunderstood-that upon-the rotatio'n 'of the" shaft 1 the pinion 21; whichis'keyed thereto, rotates,- andit imparts rotation tothe gears 26. Thegears 26 and 28 are ke'yedto the spindles 25, consequently rotationimpartecltothe gears 26 rotatesthe gears 28, and these meshing with thefixed gear rings 29 are caused to travel aroi'irid 'said gear ring,thereby carrying the flange plates 22 and 23 with a rotative'movementthe speed ofwhich is reduced through the train of gearsdescribed; an'd' the frusto-conical member ll ca'rried by the spidermounted on'the hub o'f' the flange-member- I9, is rotated'so that thespiralcu'tting flanges-are rotated to engagethe surface of snow to beremoved. -The'se spiral flanges may be provided with suitable cuttingteth- 'to-cut into-hard crusts'of'snow or iceas may be desired;

- "It will I be understood l that the shaft- 1, upon which the dischargefan l3--l 4 is mounted-, op eratesat a relatively high speed of rotationto thespeed or rotation of the spiral flange-cutting member, and as thesnow is cut and is fed Io'figi tudinally toward the fan bythe rotativmovement of-thefrusto conical member, the sno'w'bein'gf forcedlongitudinallybetween; the spiral flanges is taken'as itemerges into thepath-of the fan blades and carried around at high speed andthrownjhrough the discharge opening 15.

The discharge may be provided with ny Suit ab'l'e form of chute or guidefor'directing'the flow ofjsnow into transportvehicles-or to be thrownclear of the path cutbythe'excavatingdevice;

It will be noted on reference to Figuresfl and-7 that the end plate 3 iscarried forwardly to a greater distance thanthe end plate 4; and anangled vertical face plate 30 extends inwardly there'- from'and formsa'cutting edge to cutinto a' sn'ow bank and thus enable a clear-cutboundary to bejma'de at the inner operating end of the machine carryingthe delivery fan. Arranged within theforward extension of thecasing'formed by the end plate 3 and theangle plate 30 is a verticalshaft 3| mounted insuitable bearings 'atthe' top and bottom, and on'thebottomend of this shaft' isarranged a' horizontal duttermember 32 whichoperates close to the road. surface to' cut and break up cakedsnow'oriceforinations; The shaft 3+ is driven through bevel gears 33 operatedby a shaft 34' driven through a worm'gear' 35 operated by a worm 36carried by the jack shaft 9. V V

It will ,be noted from' the constructio'ndescribed that'this ice-cuttingmember, together with an internal gee-winewith the spiral snow cutterand feed member and the high-speed delivery fan, are all operated from asingle operating connection leading from the source of power.

The structure is therefore extremely simple and is of a ruggedconstruction which will stand extraordinary abuse.

Inthe form of the invention illustrated in Figures 3, 4 and6;. the maincasing :of the machine, with its'longitudinal shaft and drive-connections, are substantially the same, but the fan casing 31 islocated substantially midway of the length of vth'ekma hine and the fan38 is rigidly mounted onthe shaft within said casing.

Fiusto-conicalspiral flanged members 39 and mare rotatably mounted onthe main shaft at either sidejof the fan casing and both feed inwardlyto said fan casing. These frusto-conical members are driven at a reducedspeed from the speed applied to the fan by an arrangement of gearing'atthe'outward'end of each of the f'ru'stoconical members similar to thatdescribed and shown in detail as arranged at the larger end of thesingle 'frusto-conical member illustrated in Figures 1 and 2.

An ice-cutting m'emberdl, similar to the cut ter 32,- is mounted in thelower portion of a V'-shaped extension of the fan casing. This cutter isdriven by a vertical shaft 43, shown in Figure '5 in dotted lines asbeing connected with a worm drive operating'from the jack shaft 9through an angle shaft 44.

A straight bevel gear drive similar to that shown in Figure? may be usedfor this ice cutter if desired. a

What I claim as my-invention is:

1; In a-snow excavatonin combination; a part cylindrical casing havingrigid closed ends and 'a' discharge chute, v journal bearings mountedcentrally of said cylinder ends, a shaft journalled in said bearings, afan member secured on said shaft oppositesaid discharge chute, a spiderrotatably mounted on said shaft adjacent to said fan,-a:'spiderrotatably'niounted on said shaft adjacnt to a 'closedend of the'casing;a tubular member supported on 'said spiders having spiral cuttingfiang'e's'extending'from its periphery. and discharging into said fan,means for rotating saidlshaft, and a reduction gear enclosed withinithezoutward end of said tubular' member and driven by said shaft and.driving said spiders and tubular member at a slower speed than saidshaft. v

2'. A" device as claimed in claim 1' inwhich the spider remote from'the-fan and enclosed within" the; tubular member .is mounted on the hubof a flangeplate' rotatably mounted'on the shaft, a flange platebeing.rotatably mounted on the; exterior of .the shaft journal on the cylinderendplate, agear ring beingmounted on the' inner; side of the end plate,gear wheels s mmonede wee .se iflaneeu l tes to mes with said gear ring,and a pinion secured'totlie shaft. I

. In a snow excavator, in combination; a part cyl ndrical casing havingrigid. closed ends and a discharge" chute," journal baringsgmounted'c'e'n tlfilly of said cylinder ends, ashaft journalled ins'aid bearings,a'fan' membersecur'ed on "said shaftiopposite' said dischargefchute'andhaving a, cehtral drums spiders rotatably mounte'don said haft;a'tub'ular member supported on said sp' ers having one end thereofoverlapping "the ad.) agent end of the drum and havingspun-tutdischarging between the blades of said fan over the periphery ofsaid fan drum, means for rotating the shaft, and means driven by theshaft for rotating said spiders and the flanged tubular member at aspeed lower than the speed of the fan.

4. In a snow excavator, in combination, a part cylindrical casing havingrigid closed ends and a discharge chute, journal bearings mountedcentrally of said cylinder ends, a shaft journalled in said bearings, afan member secured on said shaft opposite said discharge chute, afrusto-conical tubular member separate from said fan and extendingoutwardly therefrom co-axially with said shaft, means for rotatablysupporting said frusto-conical tube from said shaft, means for rotatingsaid shaft, and means enclosed within said frusto-conical tube forrotating same at a lesser speed than said shaft.

5. In a snow excavator, a part cylindrical fan casing having ahorizontal axis, a fan within said casing, a casing extending laterallyfrom said fan casing, means Within said extension casing for feedingsnow to said fan, a driving gear for said fan and feeding means arrangedabove said casing, a vertical shaft mounted in said fan casing forwardof the fan and operatively connected to said driving gear, and ahorizontal rotary cutter mounted on the lower end of said vertical shaftbelow the bottom of the fan casing to clear ice and snow from in frontof the fan casing as the excavator is advanced.

NORMAN L. JAMES.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,372,172 Bevan Mar. 27, 19452,103,514 Cole Dec. 28, 1937 1,913,861 Stahl June 13, 1933 328,935 GristOct. 27, 1885 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 151,344 Austrian Nov.10, 1937

